Retreat Luminae: Add Specialty Restaurants or Not Needed/Pass?

[justcrusn]

We found Luminae to be the equal of specialty restaurants.

service and food were excellent. We love lawn club and Murano (Murano Lobster) and might go to Murano at least once for that, but you won’t be disappointed in Luminae, based on our experience 

[BestGuessed]

We have absolutely LOVED Luminae.  
Without doubt the best dining experience in our opinion and we wouldn’t waste a single evening going anywhere else on board as we relished every meal we had there.  The staff are just amazing too. 
Luminae is our main reason for booking a suite !!

[twins_to_alaska]

We thought Luminae on Solstice was excellent. We did try Tuscan Grill (ok our night... they were a bit off.. but loved our aft table view) and Murano (also excellent). For a longer cruise and if you want to spend the money I'd try a specialty or two but definitely not needed. Our Luminae servers got to know our likes quickly and we felt very pampered there.

[Hypaiceangel]

On 5/26/2021 at 8:06 AM, BestGuessed said:

We have absolutely LOVED Luminae.  
Without doubt the best dining experience in our opinion and we wouldn’t waste a single evening going anywhere else on board as we relished every meal we had there.  The staff are just amazing too. 
Luminae is our main reason for booking a suite !!

Agreed that Luminae is our main reason for booking a suite. On this ship, The Retreat too. It will be nice to have our own sundeck and small pool! I find that the service in Luminae is attentive and accommodating beyond belief.

[DiamondSuiteCruiser]

On 5/23/2021 at 9:51 PM, BoundForSea said:

For those who have dined in Luminae before Covid, did you feel like the selection and experience was enough where you really didn't feel like you needed to purchase a Specialty Dining Package? 

 

Sailing on Millennium in June and on the fence as to whether we really should purchase a 3 dinner package or just pass on it.  

 

Wife is a Vegan however eats fish (forgive me as I don't recall the name for this) and I enjoy pretty much everything, however love a great Filet and Lobster Tail Surf and Turf while on board.  

 

Thanks for the input!

Here are some sample menusI found. https://www.cruisecritic.com/ab/agents/variation-a/articles.cfm?ID=2531

 

We really love Luminae, and it is nice being able to order off the main dinning room menu as well. More options isn't a bad thing 😉

 

[CynthiaP]

Food! My favorite topic 😃

The specialty restaurants are lovely, but it's a long dinner - 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours. It can take up the entire evening, so go only when you don't have other plans.

Tuscan Grille - good salads and I love the fig ice cream. We always order a half order of pasta and then split that between two of us and it's still too much food. I'm not a big meat eater, so end up ordering the fish anyway.

Murano - I almost always order the same thing every time - lobster bisque soup or peeky toe crab salad, dover sole, grand marnier souffle. They also do a lobster table-side, but I like the sole better.Try the lobster at least once; it's a good show. It also has a fabulous cheese course.

Luminae - always like it. Great service and they do remember your preferences. Go early to get a window table. Flexible ordering. I can order two or three appetizers and skip the entree. Many people like the french onion soup from the MDR menu. I usually have the fish, but I ask how many pieces are served. If it's more than one, I ask for just one. They usually serve you two pieces which is too much for me; I need to leave room for more wine and dessert! At least once, order the burger at lunch. It is a calorie splurge, but it is delish and who can resist truffle fries?

Buffet - the pizza dough is made from scratch and is served at all kinds of hours. If we get back from an excursion too late for lunch, we're happy to grab a slice or two of pizza. 

 

Have a wonderful cruise!

[Covepointcruiser]

When did they add a pool to the Retreat?   I thought it was a hot tub.